Earlier today, the House of Representatives passed the ADA Education and Reform Act (HR 620) by a 225-192 vote. We are extremely disappointed and downright angry to see this blatant attack on the civil rights of people with disabilities to access places of public accommodation and now look to our allies in the Senate to prevent a companion bill from passing.
News
Medicaid Forum with Minnesota U.S. Senator Tina Smith
Advocates successfully defended Medicaid in 2017, but the threat continues in 2018. We invite you to join us in a public forum featuring United States Senator Tina Smith as we continue working to protect the promise of Medicaid.
House Passes Bill to Amend ADA to Curb Drive-By Lawsuits
“HR 620 is primarily an attempt to stem the tide of lawsuits brought by serial plaintiffs who bring dozens, if not hundreds, of lawsuits against businesses based on relatively minor physical access barriers found in their facilities for quick settlements.”
Greyhound To Pay $375K To Resolve ADA Allegations
“The Justice Department said this week that Greyhound Lines Inc. will pay $300,000 to certain travelers identified by the federal agency and the company will hire a claims administrator to compensate an unlimited number of others who faced disability discrimination in interactions with the bus service.”
Article: Congress wants to make Americans with disabilities second-class citizens again
“Businesses have had 27 years to comply with the ADA public-access protections. Yet rather than investing time and energy to achieve this goal, they are waging a propaganda campaign to convince Congress that their own lack of accessibility isn’t the problem — so-called drive-by lawsuits are. Notably, supporters of the ADA Education and Reform Act often do not dispute that they are violating the law. Rather, they simply resent being sued for what they believe are ‘minor’ ADA infractions.”
VFW agrees to revise its policy to permit service animals in its lounge
“The [DOJ’s] investigation found that the lounge operated by VFW 2976 had a policy that permitted the use of service dogs only for individuals who are blind and use guide dogs, or who are deaf or hard of hearing. The lounge specifically prohibited individuals with other disabilities such as those who have post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety or mobility disabilities from entering the lounge with a service dog.”